Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Tips for Yarn Substitution

Having worked in my LYS for a short period of time I often assisted customers with yarn substitutions when the original yarn for a pattern was no longer available. In some cases the customer wanted a different yarn because of colour or fibre preferences. Occasionally they wanted to re-knit a favourite pattern but with a different look. Budget issues also were a reason for yarn substitutions, in some cases the original yarn was too expensive and in others the knitter felt they wanted a better yarn than the pattern called for and they had the resources to choose a luxury yarn.

I've made a list here of the tips I used when looking for an alternative yarn and the fibre and construction characteristics that you should be aware of.Equal results:

Choose a yarn of the same fibre, yarn construction and gauge. Hint, it's not unusual for the exact same yarn to be distributed under a variety of labels.

Compare the weight in relationship to yardage for equal substitutions. Read here for more detail.

Choose a yarn which has similar memory or drape characteristics if you are changing fibres.

Different Results:

Choose a different fibre or blend.

Choose Superwash instead of hand wash only yarns.

Choose a hand-dye tonal instead of a solid.

Choose a yarn with halo vs. a yarn with a hard twist.

Fibre Characteristics:

Wool has memory and will retain shape.

Wool varies in it's memory based on the specific breed. Some have bounce and elasticity others are firmer and create a stiffer fabric.

Superwash yarns have more drape, they won't felt and they have less memory.

Alpaca is a warmer yarn, it has more drape than wool and some halo.

Cashmere is soft, light and warm. It does not wear well.

Angoras are fuzzy and warm. They shed and can mat where there is abrasion.

Mohair is strong and has luster but has less memory than wool.

Cotton hemp and linen drape well but have little memory.

Silk and silky looking yarns have shine and drape but they lack memory.

Nylon adds strength and durability.

Blended yarns often mix the characteristics of each fibre, look at the percentages to assess which fibre will dominate.

Yarn Construction:

Single ply yarns have a softer lookand will felt easily.

More plies that are tightly spun will wear better and showcase stitch patterns to their best advantage.

Solid colours show patterning.

Multi-coloured or variegated yarns such as hand dyed, heathers or tweeds obscure or soften stitch patterns.

Novelty yarns require simple stitch formats.

Keep in mind when you work the swatch for the substitution that small swatches are unlikely to truly represent the nature of a specific yarn over a much larger piece of knitting. Either make a larger swatch or be ready to reassess once you have a larger part of your project underway.

About Me

email contact robinknits(AT)gmail(dot)com
I've been knitting my whole life. I don't even remember learning. I started making garments for myself in my teens and then explored sewing, tailoring and millinery. I want to teach knitters about fit and flattery and turn them into fashion stars!
On my blog you will find lots of interviews with knitting industry professionals, how to tutorials and a variety of posts about what's going on in the knitting world.
I love to come out and speak at shops and guilds. Here's what the Downtown Knit collective said after one of my talks:
“Robin Hunter’s inspiring talk, “The Barbie Factor,” left everyone in a feel-good mood at the conclusion of the May meeting. Heads were nodding in agreement all around ... as she tackled a multi-faced problem faced by many knitters—why don’t we knit for ourselves? She touched on many topics including fashion, body image, media and how it all relates back to our knitting.”
You can see my patterns on http://www.patternfish.com/des/robin_hunter and you can find me on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/people/knittingrobin
My YouTube channel is here:http://www.youtube.com/user/robinknits?feature=mhee